Powerful
by Patty McCord
Netflix's former chief talent officer on the culture she helped build: radical honesty, treating people as adults, no policies where judgment will do, paying top of market, and letting go of people who are no longer the right fit, with generous severance. It is direct and controversial, and clear about the trade-offs.
Read it if…
you want the thinking behind the Netflix culture deck from its author.
Skip it if…
you lead in a context where this level of churn is unacceptable.
Three things you will actually use
- Honesty, delivered in person, is the kindest policy.
- Hire for the future, not the present.
- Adequate performance gets a generous severance.
Do this first
Remove one policy that exists because you do not trust people to use judgment.
Our verdict
Direct and controversial.
Compare with other Leadership books
The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive
Patrick Lencioni · Leadership
Quick model in fable form.
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